The Intricate Dance

"I don't want to force the food" - Ashley from Top Chef

Maybe a month ago Ashley said this on Top Chef and this resonated with me. They were given a box of ingredients and had to come up with something to make from them. It is the way I feel about quilting. When I am quilting I usually start with a pattern. I think that is the mathematical part of me. Then I choose fabric that will go well with the person I am making the quilt for, something which I also quite enjoy doing. Then the magic comes together and pattern/concept and fabric meet. It is an intricate dance whereby sometimes the fabric takes the lead and sometimes the pattern takes the lead. Sometimes the fabric no longer meets the need of the pattern and sometimes the pattern needs to be changed to meet the needs of the fabric. I have learned enough by now to take breaks when something is not working out right.

Right now, everything is working out great. My pinwheels are looking good, my stars are coming along nicely and I know what I want to do with my Fresh charm packs. I have also figured out how I want to layout my Block of the Month and maybe too for my Rainbow block swap. The down side of course is that all of the quilts are now clamoring for attention.

Sometimes too, I don't mind if someone does the dance for me. I do buy kits occasionally. For me, I have limited time to shop around for individual fabrics and if I see something I know someone will really like I will buy a kit. I had decided not to make a quilt for my friend because I was not happy with the layer cake I had chosen for her. I made a log cabin quilt for my aunt that was cream and red with some green accents. My friend really liked it. When I was browsing through the Internet I visited Crazy4Quilts, who sell kits. I found one that would suit her perfectly and bought it. I don't think though that I am going to tell her the name of the pattern.

I hope you are all enjoying the intricate dance called quilting. I wish you much productivity for the end of the year.